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Top Entertainment News: Bono's Use of Expletive Gets Second Look
Reuters Jan 14 2004
I subtitle this article "Federal Communications Commission Chairman Michael Powell is an Asshole," or "FCC Chairman Michael Powell is an Asshole Wasting Taxpayers' Money and Trying to Make a Name for Himself in Conservative Circles." Sometimes here at tedstrong.com we take news stories and tweak them a bit for the sake of satire. But what follows is a real news item: WASHINGTON (AP) - Federal Communications Commission Chairman Michael Powell has asked his fellow commissioners to overturn a much-criticized decision that an expletive uttered by the musician Bono on a network program was not obscene. During last year's NBC broadcast of the Golden Globes Awards, the lead singer of the Irish rock group U2 said "this is really, really, fucking brilliant." The Associated Press decided to use the improper, but family-friendly quote of "really, really f------ brilliant." What the hell's the point of that? They're telling us what word he used. Who doesn't know what word that is? Are we so stupid and childish that we can't read the word. I mean, we can make it out -- we know what it is -- but because there may be a child somewhere actually reading a newspaper -- (who should not be allowed to see the printed word "fucking," but for whom it is okay to read the so-called word "fuc----." There are people who read the news who should not be allowed to read the word? Or have their sensibilities offended by the existence of the use of this word? It's a word. It's a word that man made up, and then man decided it was a "bad" word or an "offensive word" and that people -- humans -- other men and women -- couldn't, or shouldn't use that word. The FCC's enforcement bureau ruled in October that the comment was not indecent or obscene because Bono used the word as an adjective, not to describe a sexual act. "The performer used the word ... as an adjective or expletive to emphasize an exclamation," the bureau said. Powell circulated a proposed ruling to the four other commissioners on Tuesday. He needs the votes of two of the four to overturn the decision. The enforcement bureau had rejected complaints from the Parents Television Council and more than 200 people, most of them associated with the conservative advocacy group, who accused dozens of television stations of violating restrictions on obscene broadcasts by airing portions of the awards program last January. Under FCC rules, broadcasters cannot air obscene material at any time and cannot air indecent material between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. In a letter to the Parents Television Council last November, Powell said the FCC needed to balance its rules against indecency and obscenity with the First Amendment right to free speech. Even so, he said, "I find the use of the 'F-word' on programming accessible to children reprehensible." Some lawmakers have criticized the FCC decision. Rep. Phil Gingrey, R-Ga., introduced a resolution that called it the "latest salvo in a string of decisions by the Federal Communications Commission that establishes a precedent regarding the use of universally recognized vulgar expletives on our nation's public airwaves." And Reps. Doug Ose, R-Calif., and Lamar Smith, R-Texas, proposed legislation that would ban five words and three phrases from the airwaves. You see, there are men -- and women -- who are this retarded. Apparently Michael Powell, Phil Gingrey, Doug Ose, and Lamar Smith are four of these people. (They're all Republicans -- no comment.) They -- now think about this -- they want to BAN WORDS. They want to make WORDS illegal. Their forefathers made up these words... and now these men have decided that these words are so bad -- the connection or letters and mouthing of syllables and tones -- so evil, and wrong -- that no one should be allowed to say them -- and no one should be allowed to hear them. Of course, to this I say fuck you. And, trying to think of all the words that so offend these great policiers of common decency, I come up with: cunt, fuck, shit, bitch, whore, dick, cock, fuck, bastard, fuck-knob, whore-batter, shit-kicker. Whatever. Does anyone get this? Like what if we spread around that Gingrey or Ose meant "fucking up the ass" or "anal sex." And it was picked up. And that's what it came to mean. So, all of a sudden we couldn't say these politicians' names without being fined and/or imprisoned? So, that's what I vote for. Let's change "fuck" to "gingrey." On the Net: Jan 14 2004 11:33AM |
